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Qwest, union reach deal

This morning's contract deal reached between Qwest Communications and its largest union will affect about 2,300 workers in the Twin Cities.

The announcement came a day after the last contract expired and members of the Communications Workers of America had authorized a strike.

The strike threatened preparations for both the Republican convention in St. Paul and the Democratic convention in Denver.

Officials have not released details of the three-year deal, but it would apply to about 20,000 workers in 13 states, including Minnesota.

Dawn Schnickels-Johnson is treasurer of Local 7200 in Minneapolis. She said this has been a stressful few days for workers who were not sure whether they would soon walk off the job.

"A settlement and a tentative agreement takes those worries and puts them aside and lets people do a little sigh of relief. However, the real sigh of relief will be once they've seen what's in that contract," Schnickels-Johnson said.

Schnickels-Johnson said a mail-in vote will determine whether the contract is adopted. A majority of workers nationwide need to approve the deal for it to take effect.